Darkness has its charm
by CloudVixen
Summary: Two more night world lovers. Really, what more should be said? Arianna falls in love with Gray the vampire - even though she is technically his slave...
1. Chapter 1

This story, although it is from night world, is slightly different. For example, delos has a random brother named Gray, there is another random dark kingdom somewhere, and duh I'm not focusing on the apocalypse. Luckily, this is my story so I don't have to! ;P the characters will appear later, right now only my own lovely kiddies are in the story. Please enjoy and R&R

Prologue

My name is Arianna or Ari for short. I wanted to tell you my story... Why? Because darkness... has its charm. My story happened long ago; as a matter of fact, it started with birth. The exciting part is only from where I was seventeen and living on the streets, though. I lived in a very small town. You know, one of those towns where everyone knows everyone and a single infraction of any kind marks you forever...

My parents had died when I was little, so I had lived with my aunt Bella. Yes, past tense. This was because I was always slightly different from the rest of... well, everybody. I was that scary little kid who chewed her long, red-brown hair and wandered into the so-called haunted mansion for fun. I was pretty messed up, and my aunt hated me for it. I also had unusually sharp instincts. This is where my story began, when I predicted the death of a local girl, and my worst nemesis. How did I know? Well, I hadn't, I was just being mean. The townspeople blamed me for her death anyway. I was marked as a murderer. However, let me stop procrastinating and tell you what happened. Oh, did I mention that the dead girl was my hateful cousin? That's pretty important.

"Hey! Get your ass down here!" I heard my aunt call. It was only me she spoke to that way... I wondered briefly why she was always so rude, but didn't break my head about it. I glanced in the mirror, seeing my sullen green eyes hidden carefully behind the curtain of coppery waves which tangled together in light curls all the way down to my waist. "Well, Salty, another day in paradise," I murmured to the mangy grey cat as it brushed past me. Salty meowed softly before dashing out the window. Well, at least he could escape.

"Arianna!" That was the second bellow, and I figured wasting more time would only get me grounded. "I heard you," I told my aunt as I ran downstairs. She was studying her dog-like appearance with satisfaction in the spoon she was cleaning, but turned to glare at me like a bat out of hell. "I called twice! Get to school," she grumbled with her scratchy voice. I grabbed my bag and left, not needing to wait for my dimwitted cousin. She was a perky blonde girl, the most popular in the school, and a serious bitch at home. There was no one I hated more than her... Except, maybe, my aunt.

Eliza (my cousin) was no longer speaking to me. She had always hated me for daring to live in her house, but when we'd recently had fought, I had unwisely told her that a monster was hopefully going to chew out her throat. She hadn't found that amusing.

So the day at school passed, I sat (dying with boredom) in all the classes, doodling on my hands and imagining what my life would've been like if my parents had lived. They had been travelers, and the townsfolk had always looked down on them, but I couldn't imagine a better life than that of a traveler, seeing new things every day... "Ari! Would you mind paying a little attention?" my math teacher shouted at me. The minutes ticked by agonizingly slowly until, FINALLY, the bell rang and everyone rushed out. I took my time heading home, not very eager to meet up with my annoying cousin. So I dawdled on the way home, only to find that when I finally arrived, there were police cars parked outside.

"You little bitch! They ought to lock you up or kill you!" I flinched away when I saw my angry aunt storming at me. Her face was distorted with rage and tears, and she bellowed at the top of her lungs as one of the policemen held her back. What the hell...? "Uhm, what's...?" I asked softly, retreating a bit. "Arianna Macklehof? We need to ask you a few questions." The deputy told me, strolling over with a cold gaze. "Uh, sure I guess, what about?" I replied, my eyes studying the scene warily. He pursed his lips and glared at me, as did many of the others. "Did something happen? Where's Eliza?" I asked, confusion and dismay creeping into my mind. Why did they all seem so... furious? Did I do something wrong? I racked my brain trying to come up with a reason, but before I could the deputy's words froze me in place. "You're the chief suspect in the murder of Eliza Wingly." My mind stopped working and I choked. Eliza was dead? Wait, they blamed me? Nausea enclosed me and forced me to gasp for breath. "Eliza's... dead?

"Killed, mauled by a wild animal." He replied, and I noticed the police were carefully encircling me. "This... this is about our fight? Are you nuts? Why would I kill my cousin?!" I shrieked. "Grab her!" was he barked at his men. Without thinking I crouched down and ran. I ran like a creature chased by death, dodging between flailing arms and dark, accusing eyes. I tore over the ground with the speed of light and ran blindly into the forest. There seemed to be my only salvation... Hidden in a forest I knew by heart. I ran and ran my mind too numb to realize my breath was coming in short gasps and my lungs felt like they were on fire. The scent of rotting leaves and forest smothered me as I kept running, no longer listening for footsteps of pursuers, merely fleeing from all that was happening. Trying to rewind the last couple of hours and change them.

Suddenly, though, I did stop. I stopped and stumbled, falling face first into the ground. What... was happening? A man stood in front of me. Could the police have caught up? Had I accidentally taken a wrong turn? How... was he in front of me? Wait, there was only silence... no voices, no angry shouting or running... Only silence. "You are mine, Ari." He spoke softly, but his quiet voice carried through the entire woods it seemed, and reverberated in my mind. I... was his? He stepped forward slowly, the light falling on his features. He was tall, with dark hair and unbelievably pale skin... His dark eyes seemed amused by my fear. Was I afraid? Yes, I was. I was afraid of the long, sharp canine teeth which gave away the fact that he was not human... "w-what are y-you?" I gasped, my voice croaking from my burning lungs. "Like you don't know..." he growled lowly. There was a sudden movement and he grabbed me from behind. I shrieked, trying to tug away, but there was a hard hit to my head, and then darkness took me...

A bizarre Vampire

When I woke up, I had no idea where I was. My head pounded like a sledgehammer and I shivered from the cold. My eyes stayed closed, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see where I was. I slowly tried getting into a more comfortable position – I was lying on my side with my hands behind my back – when I felt a sharp pain in my wrists. My eyes shot open and I flinched, which only put more pressure on the ropes which bound my hands together. I was lying on a stone floor, facing the wall. I tried sitting up without causing the ropes to cut any deeper into my wrists, but soon gave up and lay still.

Where could I be? There was no scent except that of the stone walls and floor, and I couldn't see anything, tied up as I was. Why had that strange... Creature attacked me? Has he really, or had I somehow gone insane? Oh, wait... Could he have been the one to kill Eliza? And... Did that mean he wanted to maul me as well?

I shivered, wishing I could see what's behind me. Wishing I could curl up in my bed and hide beneath the blankets from whatever was out there. Was he - it - watching me, even now?

Clap, clap... Footsteps! Someone, or something, was slowly walking toward me. The sound was muffled, but it seemed like whoever was coming made a point of being noisy. Did he not want to frighten me?

Click.

The key turned in the lock and the door creaked open. For a moment there was no sound, then a light chuckle as I kept frozen, nearly forgetting to breathe.

"I know you are awake, Ari. There is little you can hide from me."

Damn, how had he known?

"Who are you?" I asked, just as I had back in the forest.

"Oh, where are my manners? You may call me Gray Redfern," his voice seemed taunting, as though he dared me to speak his name.

He walked closer and I cringed away as his cold hand touched my shoulder.

"Now, now, you'll hurt my feelings if you act like that," he murmured, before taking me by my shoulders and easily shifting me into a sitting position with my back against the wall. I watched him cautiously, taking in the room with my peripheral vision. It was nothing interesting, only a big stone room with nothing in it.

My gaze switched back to his face as he smiled.

"I know, the room is pretty dull. I will decorate it more adequately soon. For now, I am afraid these surroundings will have to do for you," I glared at him, but the dark gaze betrayed nothing.

"Why am I here?" I asked him, cursing the hint of fear in my voice.

"Oh, who knows? Maybe I'll feed on you, maybe I'll just keep you here... Life is no fun if everything is planned out beforehand, don't you agree?"

He laughed when I frowned at him, confusion all over my face. Was he insane? He seemed so friendly, yet...

"Shall I remove the ropes? I apologize for the manner you were left here, my servants have no vision." I tried watching as he spoke, but the long canines weren't there, his teeth only seemed slightly more pointy than anyone else's.

I nodded when he raised an eyebrow, and he chuckled again. "All righty, then," he said cheerily, before tugging me to my feet. My legs were still asleep from lying so much and I stumbled into him.

"Well, we haven't even had dinner yet," he murmured into my ear as he caught me, then roared with laughter when I wrenched myself away from him.

His good humor seemed to fade, however, when he caught sight of my bleeding wrists.

"You're harmed... Are you okay?" He asked searchingly, withdrawing slightly when I flinched away from his hand on my wrist.

"Why should you care, you just kidnapped me," I asked him angrily, then I cringed as I realized I wasn't in the position to snap at him.

He watched me silently, some emotion in his eyes I'd never seen before.

"Forgive me," he said, then quickly ripped through the rope around my arms. What was he apologizing for? Was he playing with me? Trying to catch me off guard before he devoured me?

"I shall bring you something to eat soon," he said, abruptly turning and storming out, slamming the door as he exited.

I knew what I did not want to admit: Gray was a vampire. He was a dangerous demon who killed humans on a daily (weekly?) basis.

He was just so... Bizarre.

Daily confusion

"Wakey, wakey!" I jumped up, nearly falling to the floor as Gray shouted at me. I quickly tugged the blanket over me; he was letting in a cold breeze by opening the door.

Wait, blanket? When did I get the blanket? I stared at the room, my eyes nearly popping from my skull. It was a perfect replica of my room back home. The familiar dresser, the sheets on my bed, even the bedlamp with the chip in the glass lampshade on bedside table was exactly the same.

"What...?" I began, but Gray cut me off.

"I figured you'd be more comfotable this way... You're aunt had throw out all of your things after all.

"When were you at my aunt's? And when did you sneak everything in here?" I asked, utterly confused and disoriented from waking up so quickly.

"Doesn't matter. I brought you breakfast," he told me, and I gave him a wary stare. "It's nothing... Vampirey, is it?" I asked cautiously. "Actually, that'd be vampiric, and no, oh don't think you'd enjoy my kind of... Diet," he smiled slightly, humor dancing in his dark eyes.

"And does your diet have anything to do with why you're keeping me here?"

I shot at him, trying to keep any fear from my voice.

"It might... Or maybe I just enjoy your company," he answered playfully, a dangerous smile playing around his pointy teeth.

"You've never had my company," I retorted, refusing to back down so easily.

"Well then, let's assume it's because I AM intending to feed on you, does that make you feel any better?" He laughed when I cringed away from him, before quickly disappearing, then reappearing with a tray of bacon and eggs, and some orange juice.

"Interesting..." I mumbled. "Vampires can cook."

"Of course, we're not exactly wild beasts," he said irritably, before once again abruptly storming out and slamming the door. I stared at the closed door in utter confusion, uncertain whether or not it was even safe to eat the food.

"Well, the old Greek tales about Presephone would suggest not... But I'm no fair maiden," I murmured to myself, before digging in.

The rest of the day - or night, It was impossible to tell without any windows - passed quietly; he didn't come visit me again.

Maybe it was day and he really couldn't be out in daylight? Or maybe he was off killing people... The tiny voice in the back of my mind snarled, and I wondered why he had decided to kidnap me. If he was hunting, why did he need me? And if he wasn't, what other legends about vampires were true? Was there a chance I could kill him and escape?

I doubted it.

Wham!

"Honestly, could you stop slamming the door before it breaks?" I snapped at him, once again startled from my sleep.

He chuckled silently, watching me tug the blankets over my head. Would he... Try to kill me? Why was I here?

"I know you didn't go back to sleep," he told me, and I fake snored. Like hell was I going to let him know he scared and confused me, he was a predator after all. A merciless killer... He could probably sniff out fear like a bloodhound.

"You know... You smell nice," he suddenly murmured in my ear, and I shrieked.

"Don't be so noisy," he told me, lying on the bed next to me, hands behind his back and his eyes on the ceiling.

"Why do you keep me here? Let me go home already," I growled at him, trying to get up off the bed. His hand shot out and grasped my wrist, tugging me back beside him.

"Let me go," I struggled to pry his fingers from my wrist, but he only chuckled and laced his fingers through my own.

"Relax, I'm not hungry..." He whispered, tugging me into his arms and holding me.

I froze, unsure whether or not it was time to panic. My entire body tensed as he moved his mouth to my neck, but he only kissed it and chuckled.

"Scaredy cat," he laughed at me, suddenly standing by the door again.

"What...?" I began to ask, but he once again cut me off.

"You know, you really should take it easy, you'll get wrinkles.

"Go to hell! I'm not some old lady!" I growled at him, and he blinked, then burst into laughter.

"You know, you really have spunk. For someone who tenses when you're kissed, you're pretty confident when there's no one in your personal bubble."

I glared at him, unconciously hugging the blanket into me. I stopped when his eyes zeroed in on the movement, but it was too late. He laughed again, watching me with those dark eyes which were light at the same time.

Suddenly he was right in front of me again, pulling me off the bed and onto my feet.

"Let's dance," he spoke into my ear, and his warm breath made me shudder.

"You're supposed to ask whether or not I want to dance," I reminded him softly, feeling both fear and something else beginning to crawl up my spine. What was he planning to do with me? Why did this creature keep me here? It was true that I had no place to go home to, but... I didn't want to stay a kidnappee all my life either.

"Just relax," he whispered at me as he began twirling us through the room, his graceful movements were like that of a cat, and whenever I step out of whatever rythm there was in his head, it seemed his tune changed and the dance-pattern shifted. What the hell?

"Uhm... Why are we dancing?" I asked, trying to keep my attention with his quick feet. I blushed uncomfortable as his gaze studied my face.

"I like dancing," he stated easily, making the dance more complicated so I had less time to think. His strong hands held me up and he spun me around, before quickly changing the dance again... My head spun as I tried to gather my bearings, and I decided to get my mind somewhere else and let my instincts take over.

"The room is interesting," I told him, still curious about the lack of windows.

"So are you," he replied, and I glanced at his dark eyes.

"Uhm... What...?"

"Nothing," he chuckled, it was too softly to hear, but I felt the sound go through his chest, and involuntarily drew closer to him.

His lean muscles moved gracefully as we danced, and I found myself wondering whether we'd have gotten along if he'd been a human.

"Ari?" He asked quietly.

"Hmm?" I mumbled, listening to the sound of his voice in his chest.

"There's something you don't know about me yet."

"There's a few things I don't know about you," I said, not really paying attention.

I felt another deep chuckle go through his body, before his next words froze me.

"Vampires like me... Can read minds."


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry all, for the long wait! I have been extremely busy with school and all... In reply to the review from EunJung, I did not have that in mind but yes, Gray does seem to be mildly bipolar. Keep in mind that he is touchy where it concerns Ari, though. Also, please forgive any mistakes but I'm modifying the story just a tiny bit. For example, this chapter claims that Hunter Redfern had a son with Mauve (the witch) of whom he knew nothing. Always in need of bad characters :D disclaimer: I quite obviously do not own night world. Otherwise there'd be more sexy Gray in it!

"What the hell?" I shouted, pushing him away, then stumbling since we'd been mid twirl. He caught my arm before I could fall, and I wrenched my arm from his grip.

"What the hell, you stupid vampire?" I shouted again, glaring angrily at him.

He frowned and watched me curiously.

"You know, I do have feelings," he said, and I trembled with anger.

"What the hell are you playing at? You abduct me and then..."

"Then what? You were the one thinking inappropriate things," he said teasingly, earning a venemous glare from me.

'Just leave already,' I shouted at him in my mind, and he laughed.

'Aren't you just a ray of sunshine...' He replied, the cool feel of his mind pressing on my own. I flinched, not used to the "feeling" of another presence in my mind.

"Very well, call me if you need me."

The door slammed again, and I stared angrily at it.

I wasn't sure what had just happened, but I knew I wouldn't be getting any bizarre visits any time soon. Somehow that disappointed me. After all, the room had nothing to keep me busy...

Only three days later did I see him again. In between he'd sent servants - human servants at that - to bring me food and show me to the bathroom (somehow it was whenever I was hungry or needed something.) When he did return, he didn't make a dramatic entrance as was his habit. I woke up to find him silently leaning against the doorframe, his eyes closed and he wasn't moving. I guess undead leeches don't really need to breathe.

'I can hear you, you know' his dark presence was suddenly very there in my mind, and I sat up, my back against the wall.

'Your point?' I snapped at him, still annoyed about our fight before.

"I don't need one, you already pointed out that I drink blood," he retorted coolly, not impressed with my argument. Great, so now he was threatening to kill me. 'Not surprising since he's a damned bloodsucker.' I projected the thought loudly, and he raised an eyebrow.

"Your point?" He threw my own words back at me.

"I didn't say anything," I said, blushing deep red. How did he manage to make me feel dreadfully guilty when he was being an ass all the time without feeling anything?

'It's called manipulation, it's quite effective on humans' he told me mentally, knowing I would probably ignore him if he spoke.

"Well stop it, it's annoying," I snapped aloud, ignoring the crack about humans.

"Whatever," he discarded our conversation with a dismissive gesture. "More importantly, why did you not call when you got hungry?" I stared at him, unsure how to react. Wasn't he still mad at me? Wait, wasn't I still mad at him?

"I wasn't hungry," I said sullenly.

His lip twitched as he tried not to smile.

"You were too," he replied childishly.

"Next time I won't read your mind, so you better call.

Was he serious? He'd been reading my mind all that time? Well this could be problematic.

"You don't like my reading your mind?"

He asked me curiously, his head tilted to one side.

"Yeah, you kind of invade my privacy when you do that," I answered, trying not to laugh at how cliche we sounded.

"I'll keep that in mind... I'll only read your mind if you project, all right?" I nodded, glad we'd cleared that little problem out of the way. He could always lie and still read my mind, I wouldn't know, but I hoped he was at least an honorable vampire.

"Don't worry, I am," he told me.

"You say that, yet... How'd you know what I was thinking?" I asked with annoyance.

"I didn't read your mind, it was clear from the look on your face," he defended himself, watching me carefully. I blushed deeply, glancing away again.

"Fine," I muttered, then my gaze shot back to his face as he stepped up close to me.

"Are you happy?" He asked me, his dark eyes burning into my own emerald green ones.

"Happy...? You abducted me!" I exclaimed at him, and a look of hurt came over his face.

"Though I guess I'm not unhappy," I said carefully, and he instantly seemed happier.

"I'm glad," he said, lacing his fingers through my own for the second time.

"Uhm..." I said, blushing deep red again. Why was my heart racing like this? Why couldn't I say anything meaningful when he stood so close to me?

"Yes?" He chuckled, the vibration once again reaching me through his chest as he held me close.

"Nothing," I mumbled, tilting my head up to him.

"Good," he replied, before leaning closer, our lips brushing...

He kissed me fiercely, his hands, still laced with mine, pressed my arms against the wall lightly, and I returned his kiss. Our bodies brushed against each other- the feeling was electric. I responded involuntarily, needing to feel him close to me. The swell of emotion confused me. When he finally pulled away I tried not to shake my head in a dazed fashion. Both of us were slightly out of breath.

"Uhm," I said, not even trying to talk.

He chuckled, his eyes glowing warmly at me.

"Well, that was quite unexpected..."

-yawn-

I stretched out until my feet stretched out over the edge of the bed, ruffling up my already messy hair.

The door slammed open once again, and once again I shouted at him.

"Stop trying to wake me up by giving me a heartattack you damn vampire!" He burst into laughter, walking forward to steal a quick kiss from me before I threatened not to give him one.

"Cheater," I growled at him, before kissing him back.

"You're the seductress, I get to steal a kiss every once in a while, otherwise I'll get bored," he said teasingly, then his smile faded slightly.

"What's up?" I asked nonchalantly, trying not to sound worried.

"My... Friend has found out about you, and he want's to meet you," he said, worry and pain rising in his eyes.

"Why is that a problem?"

"Well, he may have a misleading idea about you," I stared, not comprehending.

"He thinks I'm a vampire?" I asked lightly, not sure how I felt about the idea of being a vampire.

"Something like that... Just promise me you'll be quiet and please don't do anything I don't tell you to. He could be a problem if he suspected that we were..." He trailed off. Just what were we? Kidnapper and kidnapee? Friends? Vampire and prey? Lovers...?

"Just what are we, Gray?" I asked him, his dark eyes looked pained as he watched me.

"I'm not sure, Ari," he admitted softly, hugging me tightly. I returned the hug, lost and confused. How had things become so complicated? When had I begun to see him that way...?

"It doesn't matter, I'll take care of you," he whispered into my ear, his sweet breath making my skin tickle.

He wasn't human, he wasn't warm. His body was cool, and the scent of his cologne filled my nostrils. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes... Why did I feel so safe around a vampire anyway?

But then I thought about it all; about him kidnapping me, about his bizarre visits, about his dark laughter back in the woods. I'd definitely been scared. I had been scared back then, and still was.

The fear rivaled strongly with the attraction, making my head spin. I began to feel dizzy as I clung to him, disoriented and confused.

"Ari?" He asked softly. Was this truly him? This caring, gentle man. Why did my memory of him in the forest seem so dark? He'd seemed so fierce then, so threatening. Like he would kill me without a second thought. Somewhere, between then and now he'd changed into an entirely different person. Either that, or he was putting up an act. For what reason would he lie? What could he possibly stand to gain?

"All right, I'll behave," I told him teasingly, moving back to lie on the bed. He smiled slightly, coming the stand before me.

"How can I be sure?" He teased back, leaning uncomfotably closely into me. I lay back, hands on his strong chest, allowing both the fear and pleasure to rush through me as all my instincts told me to flee, and my body told me to lean even closer to him.

"You..." He began, but the words seemed to disappear, and he chuckled softly, getting on the bed and hovering over me. His hands moved to hold me wrists to the bed, and he leaned down, allowing his canines to lengthen until he was clearly inhuman again.

He loomed over me, his dark gaze burning into mine as he growled lowly in his throat. I felt my breathing speed up as he came even closer, dragging his teeth against my throat.

Another chuckle as goosebumps rose on my skin.

"Does this scare you?" He asked curiously, speaking easily even with the unnaturally long teeth.

"A bit," I admitted dizzily, trying not to freak out. My heart was racing, and my body tensed as he held my arms down. At the same time...

"It's nothing I can't handle," I murmured, knowing half my physical reaction was from pure pleasure.

"May I?" He asked hesitantly, indicating with his teeth what he wanted to do.

"Can I stop you?" I challenged, pure arrogance dancing in my voice.

He tilted his head, slightly fazed by my reaction to him.

"Not really," he said, shrugging off his hesitance. I laughed, before closing my eyes, my body tensing again.

"Go on then," I told him impatiently, pressing myself into the bed.

He didn't reply, but after a moment he leaned forward again, his sharp teeth grazing my throat. I bit my lip when his fangs pierced my skin; it stung painfully.

'Relax,' he told me with his mind as my blood began to pour. He drank quietly, gently, as we lay together on the bed. I could feel his mind, so close to my own... A bubble of laughter escaped my lips as I began to feel light-headed, and I moved my lips to kiss his cheek.

"Sleep, Ari, my love..." He murmured, pulling away. I protested thickly, tugging him onto the bed beside me. Once again he hesitated, hanging back anxiously, but then agreed quietly and lay beside me. I curled up tightly, in his arms, my eyes fluttering closed as the darkness engulfed me...

"Gray?" I mumbled thickly, my eyes feeling heavy. I yawned, slowly creaking open my eyelids to find my room empty. That was unusual...

I suddenly got an idea and jumped out of the bed, steadying myself when a wave of dizziness shot through my head.

"Whoa..." I whispered, before slowly moving to the door and feeling whether it was locked. For once it wasn't.

'Gray!' I shouted mentally, peeking through the keyhole until he appeared. Just as he walked up to the door...

Wham! I slammed it open, giving him a keen glance.

"Not funny," he growled, but the spark in his eyes contradicted the fierce words.

"And here I thought it was humorous..." I laughed, stepping to his side. Maybe I'd finally get to see the rest of the house.

"C'mon," he said with a sudden impulsiveness, taking my hand and leading me up the hall.

We had a fun afternoon, wandering through the mansion... We were goofing off and, yes, kissing, when Gray dropped an irrevocable bomb on me.

"So this friend, when do I get to meet him? Is he nice? And am I supposed to tell him I'm a vampire or… something?"

Gray looked away guiltily, pointing out the beautifully furnished dining room to me. My natural, slightly insane ADD reaction was to wonder why a vampire would neet a dining room. The thought was ludicrous – did he have humans on plates every meal?

"Actually, he is my uncle. Also, he kind of thinks that you are my… slave," he whispered quietly, his words causing every other thought to disappear from my mind in 0.2 seconds.

"Your slave?" I hiccuped, not sure how to respond. "Why would you tell him that?"

"Thing is, my world differs greatly from yours... We vampires often have, well, we have human slaves," he said reluctantly.

"I don't understand," I told him, taking a few steps back. I could feel slight chills dancing through my body.

"Look, it's no big deal. It's just that many vampires get involved with human trafficking... Often for feeding purposes or plainly as servants. But trust me, I'm not like that," he said softly, trying to reassure me.

"For feeding purposes? You mean a little blood every now and again, don't you?" I asked quietly, backing up more. A tiny, tearful voice in the back of my mind told me it was nothing like that. Could Gray be one of those traffickers? Was he lying to me all this time? For feeding purposes... I knew what that meant. I didn't know much about vampires, or Gray's world, but I knew what that would mean: mass murder. People being slaughtered.

"Calm down, Ari. I'm not like that!" He told me urgently, stepping closer, trying to get me to relax.

He was reading my mind again... Could he see the pictures in my mind? The bodies of humans, my kind, littering the ground with bloodsucking murderers on them... Killers, butchers, vampires.

"Ari, would you calm down? They donate, we don't need to kill to feed. I've proven that to you!"

"They don't donate willingly! You keep them in dark little rooms and seduce them and feed from them. That's just wrong, Gray! You… you're really a monster!"

First of all, wow, where had that come from? I had never heard something quite as stupidly childish spill from my own lips. I just called my very bizarre lover/kidnapper/predator that he was a monster… but the worst part is that I didn't care. When he stared at me in shock and pain, when he called for me as I dashed off, even when his all too familiar mental voice begged me to return I just didn't care. My chest was hurting – was I unfit? I ran quite some way, lost in the millions of corridors in whatever creepy mansion I was trapped in. I had no idea where I was going or even how I could ever escape from the murdering vampire I knew was somewhere stalking through these walls, but I had to get out.

I was surprised to find the tears spilling from my cheeks. I was crying? Then the chest pain was not from too much exercise? It really _hurt._

I collapsed in some corridor identical to all the rest, gasping for air and trying to wipe off the annoying, icy tears that made my entire face feel like a swimming pool. It took a lot for me to keep from bawling out loud like a three year old. Why was Gray always making me angry? Why hadn't he been honest? But I knew the answer to that. It was for fear of how I would react… and he'd been right to worry. Now, when I thought of him, I saw only innocent faces- pale and lifeless. How many lives had he taken? I felt foolish for not having realized it sooner. He was a vampire after all.

Gray was a vampire.

So why did it hurt to finally accept that?

Stupid.

"You're in my way, human."

I jumped at the sudden words. Before me stood two vampires. They were clothed in somewhat medieval outfits, their fangs proudly on display as though anyone could mistake a bloodsucking beast with a human. I hated their faces immediately.

The one in the front had unbelievably bright, blood red hair and creepy, huge golden eyes. He seemed to be the one who spoke – he was glaring at me with disgust. Behind him stood a cute looking boy with messy brown hair and violet eyes. As I watched his eyes switched to a mellow green color, which freaked me out a bit. I stood up and glared at the stupid ginger vampire.

"You're in my way, vampire," I replied boldly, giving him my deluxe *I most definitely am not scared as hell* stare. His golden eyes narrowed slightly, making me shiver.

"Excuse me?" he asked in a dangerously soft voice. Oops, could this be Gray's evil, butchering brother?

"Y-you heard m-me," I shot back, glaring at him. I didn't see him move. It was too quick. I felt the pain of my head in a wall for a brief second before I passed out. Maybe it was not a good idea to piss a vampire off after all…

A/N whew, overkill? To clear up misunderstandings, the boy is definitely Ash. You will have to wait and see what the hell he is doing with the son of Hunter Redfern ^_^ also, Gray has no idea what happened, he can't reach minds from so far away. I hope I get a review or two!


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